I sang a little while and then flew on.

The band was somewhat delayed but the concert was electric. Santana played second bill. This concert is incorrectly listed as having been played at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Barbara, CA. It was at UCSB Robertson Gym.

One of the hottest versions of the period. It actually starts off kind of hesitant, but out of this frustration comes one of Garica's most ferocious solos I've ever heard; the pre-verse segment, a couple of minutes in, is nothing short of earth-shattering!!! It is also surely one of the longest versions yet played, clocking in just shy of eleven and a half minutes. The Cryptical reprise is actually a bit of a letdown following this apocalyptic Other One, but this is still a must-hear version. The rest of the performance, as I mentioned in my previous review on the Miller copy, is also phenomenal.

Give this set a listen! You won't regret it. Death and The Other One blew me away.

Man I miss that site. This is just one of the many splendid shows I was able to pick up from there. And it's a real beauty. The Love Light is okay. Never been a personal fave of mine. But, once the Dark Star > St. Stephen > The Eleven > Death Don't Have No Mercy gets a hold of you, it's like blunt force trauma to your eardrums. Excellent.
Then comes the Cryptical Envelopment > Drums > The Other One > Cryptical Envelopment> Cosmic Charlie just to finish up what might be left of you.
I love when they start jammin' the Other One and Phil comes in with the bass part and it sounds like he's using a tree trunk for a guitar pick.
Great show, I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.
Peace and hang loose.

Yes. An incredible Dark Star......but did no one listen to Death Don't? Not to be ignored!

The DS->... set develops slowly... beautifuly.
A thoughtful, more pensive Star. The band have the chops in hand comparable with the Live Dead sets... but the Star's energy is mellower.

The Eleven is totally out of the box. You get 12 minutes of Jamming Central here.

A couple of annoying cuts (Jerry's solo in Love Light; St.Stephen...) but awesome sound board ... with the exception of Mickey's bass pedal.
A small price to pay for this wonderful show emblematic of the band's best jamming period: late 68 thru spring 69.

Enjoy!

I have a feeling the bass was way up in the mix to help Pig find the beat. He's sloppy drunk! This is the first show I've heard on the archive where Pig's drinking is really evident.

The blasting bass drum makes the song sound phenomenol!

I'd know that right foot anywhere...

I actually like when something paticular in these ol' shows sticks out... in this case the bass drum...In fact..rather than "fighting it".. I reccommend sort of tuning into it...and studying / enjoying the specifics of it..elements that wouldnt normally stand out become brilliant!! (In fact that is how I gained MUCH more respect for Weir...Im now speaking of a different show where he is way out front in the mix...and due to that mix... I was able to see how clever / spohisticated some of his playing really was!) As for THIS show I really enjoyed following the bass drum rythm patterns... especially during The Eleven.. and this is a nice Dark Star...Some good vocal harmony and of course Garcia sounds great...Enjoy!!

amazing darkstar.. a must hear for any real deadhead

Download regardless of bass pedal, as others have said it is a 36 year old recording, and a very good one at that. Sound quality is excellent with minimal hiss for that era.

Beautiful Dark Star! 4 stars only because 5 stars for 69 are reserved for the "live Dead" run end of Feb - Beginning of March of this year.
69 was pretty much a 5 star year for a 10 star band.

Phildarkside

Nice show. I'll take a little squeak any day for some of these moments. The St. Stephen did it for me. Even though it's cut & spliced around the 3:00 mark........It's still a great version. The beginning is slow & solid and you can really hear the boys getting into it. I love the shows that have those moments when you can really hear (especially Bobby) that they are really into it and sharing in the groove.

Remember 2005-1969=36!!

We should all be grateful that these gifts are available even though some of them have collected a little dust.

I like the recording but I gotta admit the pedal bugs me. I am not a perfectionist but this particular sound gets me in the same way that a creaky door or a dripping faucet does. Can it be zapped with an equalizer?

Can't believe anybody cares about the sometimes obnoxious pedal. This is Dark Star during it's creative peak IMHO. I think it adds an almost comical aspect to an otherwise very serious piece of music. Think of it as shutters banging against the house in a violent musical storm. If you like this period of developement, don't hesitate to DL this. 4 for real.

Clanky bass drum pedal?...Its 36 years old!Its a BOOTLEG!Its not a polished recording and thats the Beauty of it all!
I really enjoyed this show.Nice Cryp/other 1
Enjoy !

Good shit this- Pig is indeed MIGHTILY drunk this night, and is at times brilliant... the pedal is a problem, though... a great blink at the beginning to a dark, chaotic year in the Dead's history...Jerry is fierce...download now, if you like 60's GD...one warning, though- there are several cuts of indeterminate length... the music on either side is so good that you bemoan the loss...do it anyway, this show is a jewel...a 4 only because of the cuts...

The other review noting the bass drum pedal understated the problem. When I heard this for the first time in my truck I thought something was banging on the outside trying to come in! It's actually horrible and I for one could not listen to this show because of it. I hope it gets a remix.

Lovelight is either pitched down or Pigpen
is completely smashed!!! Possibly both!!!
Dirty, Gritty, Raw!! Download now!

This is a very energetic show but deeply flawed by the loudness of a very clanky bassdrum pedal.
If that could be turned down in the mix I think this would be one of the better shows I've heard here.
Very energetic freeeflight continually brought back to earth by this clonking sound.
I would give this about 4 1/2 but that cuts it bak a bit
Stevo

Another brass knuckle upside the head show - rowdy eleven, rocking rocking rocking maybe one of the best ever cryptical>other one>cryptical - Another unheralded gem thanks LMA!

Cosmic Charlie